Spurs 125, Lakers 109: Sequels are never as good as the original

Having crushed the Lakers by 34 in their previous meeting, the Spurs couldn’t help but suffer a letdown in Wednesday’s rematch. But they still had relatively little trouble with their long-time rivals, expending just enough energy to keep the Lakers at bay through three quarters before sealing their 11th straight victory with 28 points over the final 8-plus minutes. Far from their most impressive performance, but more than good enough to increase their lead atop the league standings to 1 1/2 games.

Player of the game

Kawhi Leonard has been on a tear of late, and Wednesday marked his best game yet. In addition to a season-high 22 points, the third-year small forward filled up the rest of his line with 10 rebounds — his most since Dec. 23 — four assists, two steals and one blocks. Leonard did it in his customary sneaky style, picking his spots while Tony Parker led the way with 25 points. On defense he took the lead role in cooling off Lakers swingman Xavier Henry, who went just 1 for 8 with five points in the second half after erupting for 19 in the first.

The turning point

The Spurs never seemed in serious danger of losing to the Lakers, even after they took a brief lead in the second quarter and stayed within five early in the fourth. That’s when, as you see so often in the NBA, they switched into full gear and put their inferior foe down with a decisive stretch run. The Spurs were at their efficient, altruistic best in that span, making 11 of 15 shots with nine assists while five different players — Leonard, Parker, Tim Duncan, Marco Belinelli and Tiago Splitter — scored at least four points.

News, notes and observations

* Much has been made of the Spurs’ unbeaten record when Splitter scores in double-figures. Turns out we’ve been short-changing the Brazilian big man: The Spurs are also a perfect 27-0 when he scores at least seven, as was the case against the Lakers on Wednesday.

* Despite having had to battle for most of the game, the Spurs escaped Staples Center with only Leonard (34), Duncan (32) and Parker (33) having played more than 30 minutes. Handle their business on Friday in Sacramento, and there’s an off chance they might get to play with a full squad Saturday against Golden State. Then again, Gregg Popovich being Gregg Popovich, he might still rest a few of his graybeards, always choosing to focus on the long game over immediate gratification.

* The Spurs certainly weren’t great, but they were a bit better defensively than the final score might indicate. The bad: Giving up 105.1 points per 100 possessions and 109 overall. The good: Limiting the Lakers to 42.9 percent shooting from the floor and 47.8 effectively. The latter mark, which accounts for the extra value of 3-pointers, would rank fourth in the NBA for the season. They were especially solid in the fourth quarter, forcing 14 misses in 19 shots as they pulled away.

* The Spurs racked up 34 assists, their 13th game with at least 30 and enough to pull them into a tie with Atlanta for the NBA lead at 25.3 per outing.